The enigmatic space phenomenon known as 'Fast Radio Bursts' may be closer to being solved as astronomers recently detected a whopping 15 of the pulses emanating from one specific galaxy.
Researchers at the ET-hunting initiative dubbed 'Breakthrough Listen' pointed their telescope towards an area of deep space known for repeating FRBs and were amazed by what they found.
Over the course of only five hours of observation, the team detected 15 of the bursts coming from the dwarf galaxy which is 3 billion light years away and that had previously produced repeating FRBs.
As only a relative handful of the pulses have been spotted in the decade since they were first discovered, astronomers say that data from the new slew of FRBs could go a long way towards determining what causes them.
Based on the remarkable frequency of these particular FRBs, it is believed that theories which suggest that the phenomenon is caused by a one-off celestial incident, like a collision of black holes, can likely be ruled out.
Still under consideration, of course, is the tantalizing possibility that the fast radio bursts have an ET origin, whether as a form of communication or simply as a byproduct of alien activity inadvertently discovered by humans.
Alongside the infamous 'alien megastructure' star, FRBs have emerged in recent years as a perplexing space mystery often cited as something which may be connected to ETs.
While the researchers were reticent to give the ET hypothesis too much weight, they did concede that it remains 'on the table' as far as what may be behind the FRBs.
Hopeful UFO enthusiasts, however, would be wise to temper their expectations, since astronomers still say that the 'alien origin' theory is a longshot.
And, even worse, should these FRBs be coming from ETs, they're still three billion light years away, meaning that it's highly unlikely we'll be seeing the aliens who produced the pulses anytime soon.
Coast Insiders can learn more about the puzzling FRB phenomenon by checking out Linda Moulton Howe's 3/30/2017 appearance on the program.
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Source: C-Net